Here we go again
by xX-Jinx-Kaosu-Xx
Summary: Amaterasu's eyes darted about the heartbreaking scene before her. Much of the Celestial Plain had fallen to darkness and had been consumed by cursed zones. Signs of life were few and far in between. The darkness was slowly consuming the entire plain...
1. Chapter 1

Splee! I wrote an Okami fanfic! YAY! Has the obsession gone to far? Methinks not. XD

Just to let you all know, Amaterasu talks in this fic. She speaks by using telepathy. All her speech is in italics for this very reason.

Now go on and read!

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Amaterasu's eyes darted about the heartbreaking scene before her. Much of the Celestial Plain had fallen to darkness and had been consumed by cursed zones. Signs of life were few and far in between; the darkness was slowly consuming the entire plain. What little of the Celestials that remained had either fallen victim to the cursed zones or a broken spirit.

Some had merely become nervous wrecks and stayed in their houses, trembling in fear at the thought of their likely demise. The darkness had seeped into the very soil, zapping it's nutrition to the plants; the plants were dying. In fact, everything seemed to be dying. Even Amaterasu felt herself weakening, as if the very life was being taken from her body.

She and Waka had arrived at the Celestial Plain a few days ago, or so it seemed. It had actually been closer to a week. The days melded together, as there was no difference between night and day; it was always dark. Every minute of every day since the two had arrived had been spent trying to get the Guardian Sapling to grow.

Amaterasu had known from day one that it would not grow, but acted confident as not to dash Waka's hopes for the sapling. However she could feel the prophet's confidence beginning to waver, as it was slowly taken over by uncertainty and sorrow. Amaterasu sighed and went off towards the Guardian Sapling, a black, mud-like substance dripping from her paws with each step. She had dubbed it 'liquid darkness', a fitting name for it hadn't been there before the cursed zones and such came.

When she reached the sapling, she found Waka watering it, as he did everyday. Not all the water had been tainted yet, but in his heart Waka knew the water would stay pure much longer. Despite all the 'tender-loving care' the prophet had given the sapling, it was still near death. It had gone from vibrant green to a sickly brownish-green color.

Waka looked up from the Guardian Sapling as he heard Amaterasu approach. Her once quiet steps had become heavy with sorrow. "Hello Amaterasu." He greeted, a feeble smile coming to his face. The feeble smile showed just how low his confidence in the sapling had sunk.

"And how are we today ma chérie?" He asked. _''Tired.' _Amaterasu answered, yawning and laying down. "Ah. The darkness is getting to you, oui?" Waka asked, frowning. Amaterasu merely nodded in response.

The two fell silent, Amaterasu breaking the silence only a few moments later. _'Waka…The Guardian Sapling's never going to grow…The nutrition has left the soil. It can't live.'_ She said quietly. Waka sighed after a moment, giving a single nod. "I know." He responded quietly, sorrow in his voice.

'_Then why are we still here?'_ Amaterasu asked. _'The Celestials have given up hope and I fear the Celestial Plain will never be restored to it's former beauty.'_ She said. _'The darkness shouldn't still be here. Yami has been slain…Why is it still here Waka?' _She asked, whining. "I don't know." Waka answered after a few minutes.

He wasn't lying, but he wasn't telling the truth either. Amaterasu's eyes narrowed. _'There's something you're not telling me.'_ She said, looking at the prophet. Waka blinked, mildly surprised the wolf could tell.

He sighed and looked at Amaterasu. "I had a vision about two days after we arrived here." Waka said, looking off into the distance. _'It wasn't a good one…Was it?' _Amaterasu asked. Waka shook his head.

"No…It wasn't." He said quietly. _'What was in it?' _Amaterasu asked, tilting her head to the side in curiosity. "The vision was very dark. The creature in it was hidden in the shadows. The only thing I could see were two great, glowing eyes. I could just barely make out it's outline, but I couldn't really tell what it was." Waka said, frowning as he tried to figure out what the creature might have been. _'So…It's not Yami?' _Amaterasu asked.

"It could be Yami…He could have come back in a different form." Waka said, looking back at Amaterasu. _'But…I thought I defeated him.'_ She said, disappointment in her voice. "You did. But you must remember ma chérie, he was the lord of darkness; someone with power rivaling that of the Gods." Waka said. Amaterasu frowned.

The prospect of another battle with Yami was a tiring one, to say the least. _'What state is the mortal realm in?' _She asked, fearing a negative answer. "I don't know. I haven't had any visions about it." Waka said. "However, if Yami has returned, the mortal realm is not too far from chaos." He said, looking off into the distance again.

'_Then we have to go back!' _Amaterasu said as she stood, liquid darkness dripping from her fur. "But we don't even know if that where the monster is ma chérie!" Waka protested, looking back at Amaterasu. Though the Guardian Sapling was dying, he still didn't want to leave it. _'But we would know if it was here, correct?' _The wolf asked, shaking the mud-like liquid from her fur.

"Yes…We would." Waka answered quietly after a moment, nodding. _'Then we need to go back.'_ Amaterasu said. _'Otherwise the mortal realm is doomed.' _She added. Waka nodded. "Yes…I suppose it is." He said.

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The walked back to the Ark of Yamato, Amaterasu completely willing while Waka had some regrets about leaving. As Amaterasu and Waka walked onto the ship, Amaterasu paused and glanced back. _'I'm going to restore this place.'_ She said quietly, a determined look coming into her eyes. Waka, who was already in the ship, called out to her to get in. Amaterasu stepped into the ship and watched the Celestial Plain disappear as the door closed.

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So? What do you think? Hit the review button and tell meh!


	2. Chapter 2

**HOLY SHIT. I never thought I would get the second chapter up THIS soon. I say that because I never thought I would have the second chapter done by now. The flare for writing this just hasn't been there, ya know? So yeah...Go read.**

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Amaterasu was off the ark as soon as the door opened, ignoring Waka's yelled protests to her recklessness. Amaterasu felt some kind of indescribable joy, for now that she was back in the land of mortals, she could see Issun again. She had missed the poncle dearly ever since her departure. However her sprits sank as her paws hit the snow.

It seemed slimy and looked more like ash than snow, for it was grey. Amaterasu whined and look to Waka, who had just come to her side. _'What happened? The snow is so odd.'_ She said, tilting her head a bit. The prophet sighed. "It would seem…Evil had tainted the land of mortals once more." He said, frowning.

'_We have to make sure everyone's okay!'_ Amaterasu said with urgency, running off through slimy snow. Waka followed quickly, knowing the Goddess was right. If darkness had indeed taken the land once more, everyone's safety was far from guaranteed.

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Waka had followed Amaterasu into the village of the Oina. The Goddess was currently searching for signs of life in the village, which seemed completely devoid of it; the people were nowhere to be seen and even the animals had vanished. Waka heard Amaterasu whine as she came back to his side. _'I can't catch anyone's scent. All I smell is dirt and ash.' _She said.

Waka frowned. He went to one of the huts and knocked. When he did not receive a reply, he knocked again, this time calling out who he was and asking if anyone was in there. When he did not receive a response to that, he opened the door.

The dim light gave way to a depressing scene; the Oina inside was frozen in stone and looked like a statue. Amaterasu's mouth opened in a noiseless gasp. _"That's impossible…This only happens in cursed zones…And this isn't one." _She said, an air of confusion penetrating her tone. She ran off, intending to check all the houses.

Waka made no attempt to stop her, but he wished he had as the Goddess came back to him, head held low. _"They're all the same."_ Amaterasu said sadly. Waka frowned, as this fact troubled him. "Perhaps the Ponicles know what has happened." He suggested.

At first, Amaterasu perked up, as she instantly thought of seeing Issun. However she saddened once more, for the circumstances under which they were to meet would be dire and depressing. _"Let's go then."_ She said, starting off towards the exit of the village. Waka nodded and followed the Goddess, a frown still on his face.

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The journey though Yoshpet was not easy, though in truth it never had been. The number of cursed trees had increased and Amaterasu was troubled to find she could not use her Celestial Brush to return the trees to normal. Even some of the larger trees had become cursed, moving their branches in order to bury Waka and Amaterasu under large amounts of snow. After a long ordeal however, they managed to reach the clearing where Poc'Tan, the Ponicle village, was located.

Amaterasu did not sense anything wrong with the village, however she had not been inside yet. "I shall wait here. If I was to come with you, the bug probably wouldn't tell us anything." Waka said, sitting down in the grass a few feet away from the stump that was the entrance to the village. Amaterasu snorted disapprovingly as Waka called Issun a bug. _"Don't call him that. He's a Ponicle, not a bug."_ She stated, her tail going rigid.

Waka bowed his head. "I apologize. I will not do it again." He said quietly. It was very out of character for him, but he did not want to annoy Amaterasu. She did not need the added stress of him and Issun fighting.

The prophet hoped that Issun would not start any arguments with him, though it was unlikely. Amaterasu smiled at Waka. _"Thank you."_ She said. _"I hope Issun is as cooperative as you. I will speak to him about it before we come outside."_ The Goddess added.

Waka merely nodded. Amaterasu stepped towards the stump, and watched the Lucky Mallet bounce up and down in front of her fervently. _'Ready to get hammered Ammy?': _Issun's words went though the Goddess' head. She nodded vaguely and stepped forward. The mallet worked its magic and once the shrinking process was though, she hurried into Poc'Tan.

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**You're all dissapointed aren't you? You thought Issun was gonna be in this chapter didn't you? WELL YOU THOUGHT WRONG. So, yeah. Go review now...REVIEW!...Sorry, I'm hyper. But please review. You'll be mentioned in the next chapter's AN's. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry this took so long. I've been busy. Not to mention I was out of ideas for a while.**

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Amaterasu was quite shocked as she saw Poc'Tan…Or at least, what was left of it. Much of the tiny town was in ruins. Many of the houses had collapsed in on themselves and the path of leaves had turned brown and crumbled away in some places. She tried to restore the bridge, but the ink merely melted away, the leaves unaffected.

Amaterasu whined and walked forward cautiously. She had to jump many times to make it across, for the leaf path was no longer strong enough to support her for very long. The water that lay in the area that connected the two leaf paths was murky and foul-smelling. She snorted and stepped out of the water, rushing across the next path.

This one was stronger than the last one, but Amaterasu still had to jump a few times to get across. She stopped and looked around. She couldn't hear anything. She raised her head and howled; it echoed many, many times before dying away.

Amaterasu whined and her ears drooped. _"Everyone's gone I guess…I'm too late to save them.'" _She murmured, looking down in despair. She sighed and stood up, looking towards where Ishaku was. She wandered off in the direction of the doors to Ishaku's house, whining as she remembered the two Ponicles who used to stand guard outside them.

She pushed the doors open and walked in, taking a step back at what she saw…Or rather, what she didn't see. Ishaku was gone; not turned to stone or anything, just gone.She whined and sniffed around the room for a while. She found an old scent trail of Ishaku's; it seemed to be a few years old.

"_How long was I gone?"_ She wondered, following the scent out the door. She followed the scent to something she did not want to find; the decayed corpse of Ishaku. She looked away from the remains, depression etched into her expression. The remains lay in some black dirt, a dead four leaf clover next to it.

Amaterasu tried to use Rejuvenation on the clover, but she was met with failure. She sighed and glanced at the skeleton sadly. _'I am sorry, but I cannot give you a proper burial with the world like this.'_ She said, turning and walking away. She scoured the village for signs of life, but was unable to find any.

The Ponicles were gone from this place, and perhaps from the world. _'People must not believe in me anymore…That is why my powers are gone. It's amazing I've been able to retain my divine instrument and markings. ' _She said quietly, looking around the ruined village. She sighed and started towards the exit, stopping when she was a few feet from it. _'I'll come back to give you a proper burial once I have the power to do so, Ishaku. I promise.'_ She said, before exiting the village.

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"Oh, ma chérie. I was afraid something may have happened to you." Waka said, as Amaterasu was returned to normal size. "You were gone for quite some time." He added. He frowned and looked at the wolf, who was looking down and frowning. "What happened?" The prophet asked.

"_Ishaku…He's dead." _Amaterasu said, shutting her eyes. _"And the village is ruined and empty." _She added, opening her eyes and looking at Waka in despair. _"How long have we been gone from this world Waka?"_ She asked. "A week or so. Why?" Waka asked.

"_Ishaku's been dead for years."_ Amaterasu said quietly._ "All that's left of him is a skeleton. The scent trail that leads to him is a few years old."_ She added. _"We've been gone a lot longer than a week." _She said, looking to Waka. _"That's why the curse is so strong. Because it's gone unchecked for years." _She concluded, looking down again.

"Well, I suppose we should go to Kamiki then, oui?" Waka asked, standing up. _"Why?"_ Amaterasu asked, looking up at him. "Perhaps Issun escaped Poc'Tan before he met the same fate as everyone else. And Kamiki is the only place he would go to." He explained. The wolf nodded, the prophet's theory making sense.

"_Alright then. Let's go." _She said, starting back towards Yoshpet. Waka followed, but became the leader as Amaterasu stopped. The prophet looked back to see the wolf gazing sadly at the stump. "All will be resolved in the end." Waka said, frowning.

Amaterasu nodded and after a moment started forward again, glancing back at the stump until it vanished from sight.

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Since they knew what was in store for them this time, this trip through Yoshpet was not as hard as the first. It was still a bit difficult however. Once they made it through, they continued through Samui to the tunnel that connected the cold Northern lands to Shinshu Fields. They went through the tunnel quickly, then stopped dead in their tracks as they entered the fields.

Amaterasu nearly collapsed from sadness as she looked over the fields. The grass had died and had turned grey. The trees were dead and completely devoid of leaves. The earth was cracked from lack of rain, even though the clouds overhead seemed filled with it.

The only tree that had survived was the guardian tree, which was just barely alive. Amaterasu shot down the hill and to the tree. In a desperate attempt to save it, she used Rejuvenation on it. She was met with failure.

She sat down and raised her head, howling in sadness and frustration. She then slumped into a laying down position, body shaking with invisible and inaudible sobs. _"What can we do Waka? I can't use my powers to bring anything back…Everything and everyone is going to die and I can't do anything about it!"_ She said quietly, covering his head with her paws. Waka frowned and knelt down next to the Goddess.

"Let's go see Sakuya. Maybe she can help us." He suggested, nudging the wolf. Amaterasu sighed and stood up after a moment. _"Okay."_ She said with a nod. Waka started towards Kamiki village, Amaterasu following.

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**Ammy was out of character towards the end huh?** **Sorry 'bout that. Anyway, Issun will be in the next chapter. I promise.**


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